Regina council postpones demolition decision for building on site where Louis Riel's body was kept

Regina city council has postponed its decision on the potential demolition of a downtown Regina building with a connection to Louis Riel. 

The question of demolishing the Burns Hanley Building at 1863 Cornwall St. has repeatedly appeared before council, and may now reach a resolution on June 1, when council is next scheduled to meet. 

Council considered the proposal last year, but it was ultimately voted down in a 9-1 vote, with the issue then referred to the province's Heritage Review Board. 

The report council considered Wednesday was the result of that referral. 

It presented a recommendation from the review board that the City of Regina and the company that owns the property, Harvard Developments, consider a redevelopment plan that includes the preservation of the facade of the building. 

If the facade is not preserved during the demolition of the building, then the redevelopment agreement could be negotiated to guarantee the reconstruction of the facade, the report said.

The reconstruction of the facade is the option preferred by Harvard Developments.

On Wednesday, Jackie Schmidt, president of Heritage Regina, urged council to vote against the proposal. 

She said there was no evidence other than what Harvard Developments had presented that the building's facade needed to come down.

Schmidt asked council to order a third-party review of the issue to provide an impartial recommendation, and avoid rushing to approve the demolition of the building.

"Once it's gone, it's gone," she said. 

Harvard Developments president and CEO Rosanne Blaisdell took questions from council with a focus on whether the company could preserve the facade in coming years if the site is not immediately redeveloped.

Harvard came under fire over whether council could trust the company to incorporate the facade into any future construction. 

Blaisdell said the company was willing to engage with the city and register the use of the facade on the title of the land — essentially tying its hands on the topic. 

She repeatedly urged council to make a decision quickly, and said the company would like to begin demolition of the building within 30 days if the motion was approved. 

"We have been through a thorough, thorough, thorough process here, and I think at some point in time, we need to make a decision and move forward," she said. 

Despite the arguments presented to council, no organization got its way on Wednesday. 

Decision delayed

An amendment put forward by Coun. Bob Hawkins, which would have council refer the report back to administration to have a third-party expert examine the subject and provide a recommendation, resulted in a tied vote, meaning it did not pass.

Hawkins was joined by Couns. Andrew Stevens, Jason Mancinelli, Cheryl Stadnichuk and Shanon Zachidniak in voting for the motion.

Couns. John Findura, Lori Bresciani, Daniel LeBlanc and Terina Shaw, along with Mayor Sandra Masters, voted against.

Coun. Landon Mohl was not in attendance. 

LeBlanc moved a motion that the council direct Harvard to repair the building but a vote was not held on Wednesday. 

Instead, Mancinelli moved to table the report until next council meeting. It was supported 6-4 with Masters, Findura, Bresciani and Shaw voting against. 

The Louis Riel connection

The Burns Hanley Building sits on the site once occupied by St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, which was built in 1883. That church was where Louis Riel's body was briefly kept after the Métis leader's execution in 1885, before it was sent to Winnipeg.

The Burns Hanley Building was constructed on the site in 1912, and is a designated heritage building in the city's Victoria Park Heritage Conservation District. Harvard applied for a permit to demolish the building in July 2021, citing its deteriorating condition. 

A 2019 engineering report by JCK Engineering found the building had undergone years of sustained water damage due to a damage roof and broken pipes. 

The report recommended $200,000 in repairs that would have helped to stabilize the building. 

No repairs were carried out. 

'Demolition by neglect'

Two years later, the same company inspected the building again and found that water damage was so severe, and the condition was so poor, that they were unable to inspect parts of the structure.

"The building is unsafe and should not be occupied for any reason," the JCK Engineering report concludes. 

Due to the extensive damage, the repair estimates have skyrocketed to $4.7 million. That includes structural repairs, shoring up walls, and removal of debris and hazardous material. 

The decision to not complete the repairs has been described by Heritage Regina as "demolition by neglect" in a letter sent to council in favour of preserving of the building. 

Harvard's initial application did not have a proposed redevelopment plan, despite a city bylaw requiring one. 

Instead, Harvard said its initial plan was to infill the basement of the demolished building. It plans to acquire neighbouring properties before developing the highrise tower.